New capability gives enterprises verified, policy-based control over AI agents and automated traffic
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Welcome back, aspiring DFIR defenders!
Welcome to the start of a new series dedicated to PowerShell for Defenders.
Many of you already know PowerShell as a tool of hackers. In our earlier PowerShell for Hackers series, we demonstrated just how much damage a skilled hacker can cause with it by taking over the entire organization with just one terminal window. In this new series, we flip the perspective. We are going to learn how to use it properly as defenders. There is far more to PowerShell than automation scripts and administrative shortcuts. For blue team operations, incident response, and digital forensics, PowerShell can become one of your most effective investigative instruments. It allows you to quickly process logs, extract indicators of compromise, and make sense of attacker behavior without waiting for heavy platforms.
Today, we will go through two PowerShell-based tools that are especially useful in defensive operations. The first one is DeepBlueCLI, developed by SANS, which helps defenders quickly analyze Windows event logs and highlight suspicious behavior. The second tool is WELA, a PowerShell script created by Yamato Security. WELA focuses on auditing and hardening Windows systems based on predefined security baselines. While both tools are PowerShell scripts, they serve different but complementary purposes. One helps you understand what already happened. The other helps you reduce the chance of it happening again.
DeepBlueCLI is a PowerShell-based tool created to help defenders quickly identify suspicious behavior in Windows event logs. Its strength lies in simplicity. You do not need complex configurations, long rule files, or a deep understanding of Windows internals to get started. DeepBlueCLI takes common attack patterns and maps them directly to event log indicators, presenting the results in a way that is easy to read and easy to act upon.
There are two main ways to use DeepBlueCLI. The first approach is by analyzing exported event logs, which is very common during incident response or post-incident forensic analysis. The second approach is live analysis, where the tool queries logs directly from the system it is running on. Both approaches are useful depending on the situation. During a live incident, quick answers matter. During forensic work, accuracy and context matter more.
A very helpful feature of DeepBlueCLI is that it comes with example event logs provided by the developer. These are intentionally crafted logs that simulate real attack scenarios, making them perfect for learning and practice. You can experiment and learn how attacker activity appears in logs. The syntax is straightforward.
In the example below, we take a sample event log provided by the developer and run DeepBlueCLI against it:
PS > .\DeepBlue.ps1 -file .\evtx\sliver-security.evtx
Sliver is a modern command-and-control framework often used by red teamers and real attackers as well. In the output of this command, we can see several interesting indicators. There is cmd.exe accessing the ADMIN$ share, which is a classic sign of lateral movement or administrative access attempts. We also see cmd.exe being launched via WMI through C:\Windows\System32\wbem\WmiPrvSE.exe. This is especially important because WMI execution is commonly used to execute commands remotely while avoiding traditional process creation patterns. Above that, we also notice cmd.exe /Q /c JOINT_BALL.exe. This executable is a Sliver payload. Sliver often generates payloads with seemingly random names.
Another example focuses on PowerShell obfuscation, which is a very common technique used to evade detection:
PS > .\DeepBlue.ps1 -file .\evtx\Powershell-Invoke-Obfuscation-many.evtx
In the results, we see very long command lines with heavily modified command names. This often looks like iNVOke variants or strange combinations of characters that still execute correctly. These commands usually pass through an obfuscation framework or an argument obfuscator, making them harder to read and harder for simple detections to catch. Occasionally, DeepBlueCLI struggles to fully decode these commands, especially when the obfuscation is layered or intentionally complex. This is not a weakness of the tool but rather a reflection of the logic behind obfuscation itself. The goal of obfuscation is to slow down defenders, and even partial visibility is already a win for us during investigation.
It is also worth mentioning that during real forensic or incident response work, you can export logs from any Windows machine and analyze them in exactly the same way. You do not need to run the tool on the compromised system itself.
In some cases, speed matters more than completeness. DeepBlueCLI allows us to perform a quick live analysis by running PowerShell as an administrator and querying logs directly:
PS > .\DeepBlue.ps1 -log security
In this scenario, the tool immediately highlights suspicious behavior. For example, we can clearly see that several user accounts were subjected to brute-force attempts. One very practical feature here is that DeepBlueCLI counts the total number of failed logon attempts for us. Instead of manually filtering event IDs and correlating timestamps, we get an immediate overview that helps us decide whether further action is required.
WELA is a PowerShell script developed by Yamato Security that focuses on auditing and hardening Windows systems. Unlike DeepBlueCLI, which looks primarily at what happened in the past, WELA helps you understand the current security posture of a system and guides you toward improving it. It audits system settings against a predefined baseline and highlights areas where the configuration does not meet expected security standards. Because WELA uses advanced PowerShell techniques and low-level system queries, it is often flagged by antivirus as potentially malicious. This does not mean the script is harmful. The script is legitimate and intended for defensive use.
To begin, we can view the help menu to see what functionality the developer has included:
PS > .\WELA.ps1 help
From the available options, we can see that WELA supports auditing system settings using baselines provided by Yamato Security. This audit runs in the terminal and saves results to CSV files, which is often the preferred format for documentation and further analysis. For those who prefer a graphical interface, a GUI version is also available. Another option allows you to analyze the size of log files, either before or after configuration changes, which can be useful when tuning logging policies.
Before performing any audit, it is a good idea to update the rules. For this to work smoothly, you first need to create a directory named config in the folder where the script resides:
PS > mkdir config
PS > .\WELA.ps1 update-rules
This ensures that the script has a proper location to store updated configuration data and avoids unnecessary errors.
Once the rules are up to date, we are ready to audit the system and see where it meets the baseline and where it falls short. Many defenders prefer starting with the terminal output, as it is faster to navigate:
PS > .\WELA.ps1 audit-settings -Baseline YamatoSecurity
At this stage, the script reviews the current system settings and compares them against the selected baseline. The results clearly show which settings match expectations and which ones require attention.
The audit can be performed using the graphical interface:
PS > .\WELA.ps1 audit-settings -Baseline ASD -OutType gui
This option is particularly useful for presentations and reports.
After auditing, we can perform a focused check related to log file sizes:
PS > .\WELA.ps1 audit-filesize -Baseline YamatoSecurity
The output shows that the system is not hardened enough. This is not uncommon and should be seen as an opportunity rather than a failure. The entire purpose of this step is to identify weaknesses before a hacker does.
Finally, we move on to hardening the system:
PS > .\WELA.ps1 configure -Baseline YamatoSecurity
This process walks you through each setting step by step, allowing you to make informed decisions about what to apply. There is also an option to apply all settings in batch mode without prompts, which can be useful during large-scale deployments.
PowerShell remains one of the most decisive tools on a modern Windows system, and that reality applies just as much to defenders as it does to attackers. In this article, you saw two PowerShell-based tools that address different stages of defensive work but ultimately support the same goal of reducing uncertainty during incidents and improving the security baseline before an attacker can exploit it.
We are also preparing dedicated PowerShell training that will be valuable for both defenders and red teamers. This training will focus on practical, real-world PowerShell usage in both offensive and defensive security operations and will be available to Subscriber and Subscriber Pro students from March 10-12.
Hello, aspiring digital forensics investigators!
In this article, we continue our journey into digital forensics by examining one of the most common and underestimated attack paths: abusing file upload functionality. The goal is to show how diverse real-world compromises can be, and how attackers can rely on legitimate features and not only exotic zero-day exploits. New vulnerabilities appear every day, often with proof-of-concept scripts that automate exploitation. These tools significantly lower the barrier to entry, allowing even less experienced attackers to cause real damage. While there are countless attack vectors available, not every compromise relies on a complex exploit. Sometimes, attackers simply take advantage of features that were never designed with strong security in mind. File upload forms are a perfect example.
Upload functionality is everywhere. Contact forms accept attachments, profile pages allow images, and internal tools rely on document uploads. When implemented correctly, these features are safe. When they are not, they can give attackers direct access to your server. The attack itself is usually straightforward. The real challenge lies in bypassing file type validation and filtering, which often requires creativity rather than advanced technical skills. Unfortunately, this weakness is widespread and has affected everything from small businesses to government websites.
Before diving into the investigation, it helps to understand how widespread this issue really is. Platforms like HackerOne contain countless reports describing file upload vulnerabilities across all types of organizations. Looking at reports involving government organizations or well known companies makes it clear that the same weaknesses can appear everywhere, even on websites people trust the most.
As infrastructure grows, maintaining visibility becomes increasingly difficult. Tracking every endpoint, service, and internal application is an exhausting task. Internal servers are often monitored less carefully than internet-facing systems, which creates ideal conditions for attackers who gain an initial foothold and then move laterally through the network, expanding their control step by step.
Let us now walk through a realistic example of how an attacker compromises a server through a file upload vulnerability, and how we can reconstruct the attack from a forensic perspective.
The attack almost always begins with directory fuzzing, also known as directory brute forcing. This technique allows attackers to discover hidden pages, forgotten upload forms, administrative panels, and test directories that were never meant to be public. From a forensic standpoint, every request matters. It is not only HTTP 200 responses that are interesting.
In our case, the attacker performed directory brute forcing against an Apache web server and left behind clear traces in the logs. By default, Apache stores its logs under /var/log/apache, where access.log and error.log provide insight into what happened.
bash# > less access.log
Even without automation, suspicious activity is often easy to spot. Viewing the access log with less reveals patterns consistent with tools like OWASP DirBuster. Simple one-liners using grep can help filter known tool names, but it is important to remember that behavior matters more than signatures. Attackers can modify headers easily, and in bug bounty testing this is often required to distinguish legitimate testing from malicious activity.
bash# > cat access.log | grep -iaE 'nmap|buster' | uniq -d
You might also want to list what pages have been accessed during the directory bruteforce by a certain IP. Here is how:
bash# > cat access.log | grep IP | grep 200 | grep -v 404 | awk ‘{print $6,$7,$8,$9}’
In larger environments, log analysis is usually automated. Scripts may scan for common tool names such as Nmap or DirBuster, while others focus on behavior, like a high number of requests from a single IP address in a short period of time. More mature infrastructures rely on SIEM solutions that aggregate logs and generate alerts. On smaller systems, tools like Fail2Ban offer a simpler defense by monitoring logs in real time and blocking IP addresses that show brute-force behavior.
Once reconnaissance is complete, the attacker moves on to exploitation. This is where the HTTP POST method becomes important. POST is used by web applications to send data from the client to the server and is commonly responsible for handling file uploads.
In this case, POST requests were used to upload a malicious file and later trigger a reverse connection. By filtering the logs for POST requests, we can clearly see where uploads occurred and which attempts were successful.
bash# > cat * | grep -ai post
The logs show multiple HTTP 200 responses, confirming that the file upload succeeded and revealing the exact page used to upload the file.
The web server was hosted locally on-premises rather than in the cloud, that’s why the hacker managed to reach it from the corporate network. Sometimes web servers meant for the internal use are also accessible from the internet, which is a real issue. Often, contact pages that allow file uploads are secured, but other upload locations are frequently overlooked during development.
After successfully uploading a file, the attacker must locate it and execute it. This is often done by inspecting page resources using the browser’s developer tools. If an uploaded image or file is rendered on the page, its storage location can often be identified directly in the HTML. Here is an example of how it looks like:
Secure websites rename uploaded files to prevent execution. Filenames may be replaced with hashes, timestamps, or combinations of both. In some cases, the Inspect view even reveals the new name. The exact method depends on the developers’ implementation, unless the site is vulnerable to file disclosure and configuration files can be read.
Unfortunately, many websites do not enforce renaming at all. When the original filename is preserved, attackers can simply upload scripts and execute them directly.
The server’s error.log shows repeated attempts to execute the uploaded script. Eventually, the attacker succeeds and establishes a reverse shell, gaining interactive access to the system.
bash# > less error.log
Once access is established, the attacker’s priority shifts to persistence. This ensures they can return even if the connection is lost or the system is rebooted.
One of the most common persistence techniques is abusing cron jobs. Crontab entries allow commands to be executed automatically at scheduled intervals. In this case, the attacker added a cron job that executed a shell command every minute, redirecting input and output through a TCP connection to a remote IP address and port. This ensured the reverse shell would constantly reconnect. Crontab entries can be found in locations such as /etc/crontab.
bash# > cat /etc/crontab
During the investigation, a new account was identified. System files revealed that the attacker created a new account and added a password hash directly to the passwd file.
bash# > cat /etc/passwd | grep -ai root2
The entry shows the username, hashed password, user and group IDs, home directory, and default shell. Creating users and abusing cron jobs are common techniques, especially among less experienced attackers, but they can still be effective when privileges are limited
Another persistence technique involves SSH keys. By adding their own public key to the authorized_keys file, attackers can log in without using passwords. This method is quiet, reliable, and widely abused. From a defensive perspective, monitoring access and changes to the authorized_keys file can provide early warning signs of compromise.
Persisting through system services gives attackers more flexibility. They also give more room for creativity. For example, the hackers might try to intimidate you by setting up a script that prints text once you log in. This can be ransom demands or other things that convey what they are after.
Services are monitored by the operating system and automatically restarted if they stop, which makes them ideal for persistence. Listing active services with systemctl helps identify suspicious entries.
bash# > systemctl --state=active --type=service
In this case, a service named IpManager.service appeared harmless at first glance. Inspecting its status revealed a script stored in /etc/network that repeatedly printed ransom messages. Because the service restarted automatically, the message kept reappearing. Disabling the service immediately stopped the behavior.
Since this issue is so widespread, and because there are constantly new reports of file upload vulnerabilities on HackerOne, not to mention the many undisclosed cases that are being actively exploited by hackers and state-sponsored groups, you really need to stay vigilant.
The attack does not end with persistence. Once attackers gain root access, they have complete control over the system. Advanced techniques such as rootkits, process manipulation, and kernel-level modifications can allow them to remain hidden for long periods of time. In situations like this, the safest response is often restoring the system from a clean backup created before the compromise. This is why maintaining multiple, isolated backups is critical for protecting important infrastructure.
As your organization grows, it naturally becomes harder to monitor every endpoint and to know exactly what is happening across your environment. If you need assistance securing your servers, hardening your Linux systems, or performing digital forensics to identify attackers, our team is ready to help
3 min read
Written by Lucy Thompson, Planetary Scientist and APXS team member, University of New Brunswick, Canada
Earth planning date: Monday, Dec. 22, 2025
As we all prepare for the holiday season here on Earth, we have been planning a few last activities before Curiosity and the team of scientists and engineers take a well-deserved, extended break. This holiday season coincides with conjunction — every two years, because of their different orbits, Earth and Mars are obstructed from one another by the Sun; this one will last from Dec. 27 to Jan. 20. We do not like to send commands through the Sun in case they get scrambled, so we have been finishing up a few last scientific observations before preparing Curiosity for its quiet conjunction break.
As part of a pre-planned transect between our two recent drill holes, “Valle de la Luna” (hollow) and “Nevado Sajama” (ridge), we successfully completed chemical analyses and imaging of a ridge wall. These observations were acquired to document changes in texture, structure, and composition between the two drill holes and to elucidate why we see such contrasting physical features of resistant ridges and eroded hollows in this region. Mastcam and ChemCam also imaged a little further afield. ChemCam continued observations of the “Mishe Mokwa” butte and captured textures in the north facing wall of the next, adjacent hollow. Mastcam imaged the central fracture along the “Altiplano” ridge above the wall we were parked at, as well as polygonal features in our previous workspace.
The rover engineers then successfully orchestrated Curiosity’s drive back up onto the nearby ridge to ensure a safe parking spot over conjunction. We documented the drive with a MARDI sidewalk video, tracking how the terrain beneath the rover changes as we drive. Although we could not use APXS and MAHLI on the robotic arm from Friday on, owing to constraints that need to be in place prior to conjunction, we were able to use the rover’s Mastcam to image areas of interest in the near field, which will help us with our planned activities when we return from conjunction. These will hopefully include getting chemistry (with APXS and ChemCam) and imaging (with MAHLI) of some freshly broken rock surfaces that we drove over.
The environmental scientists were also very busy. Navcam observations included: Navcam suprahorizon and zenith movies to monitor clouds; Navcam line-of-sight observations; and Navcam dust-devil movies and surveys as we enter the dust storm season on Mars. Mastcam tau observations were acquired to monitor the optical depth of the atmosphere, and APXS analyses of the atmosphere were also planned to monitor seasonal variations in argon.
Today we are uplinking the last plan before Mars disappears behind the Sun and we all take a break (the actual conjunction plan to take us through sols 4763-4787 was uplinked a couple of weeks ago). Because of constraints put in place to make sure Curiosity stays safe and healthy, we were limited to very few activities in today’s plan. These include more APXS atmospheric argon measurements and Hazcam and Navcam imaging including monitoring for dust-devil activity.
As usual, our plans also included background DAN, RAD, and REMS observations, which continue through conjunction.
It has been a pleasure to be a part of this amazing team for another year. We are all looking forward to coming back in January, when Mars reappears from behind the Sun, to another exciting year of roving in Gale crater.
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Written by Noah Martin, Ph.D. student and Candice Bedford, Research Scientist at Purdue University
While much of Perseverance’s work focuses on ancient rocks that record Mars’ long-lost rivers and lakes, megaripples offer a rare opportunity to examine processes that are still shaping the surface today. Megaripples are sand ripples up to 2 meters (about 6.5 feet) tall that are mainly built and modified by wind. However, when water in the atmosphere interacts with dust on the ripple surface, a salty, dusty crust can form. When this happens, it is much harder for the wind to move or shape the megaripple. As such, megaripples on Mars are largely considered inactive, standing as records of past wind regimes and atmospheric water interactions over time. However, some have shown signs of movement, and it is possible that periods of high wind speeds may erode or reactivate these deposits again.
Despite Mars’ thin atmosphere today (2% of the Earth’s atmospheric density), wind is one of the main drivers of change at the surface, eroding local bedrock into sand-sized grains and transporting these grains across the ripple field. As a result, megaripple studies help us understand how wind has shaped the surface in Mars’ most recent history and support planning for future human missions, as the chemistry and cohesion of Martian soils will influence everything from mobility to resource extraction.
Following the successful investigation of the dusty, inactive megaripples at “Kerrlaguna,” Perseverance recently explored a more expansive field of megaripples called “Honeyguide.” This region hosts some of the largest megaripples Perseverance has seen along its traverse so far, making it an ideal location for a comprehensive study of these features. The megaripples at “Honeyguide” rise higher, extend farther, and have sharply defined crests with more uniform orientation compared to those at “Kerrlaguna.” The consistent orientation of the megaripples at “Honeyguide” suggests that winds in this area have blown predominantly from the same direction (north-south) for a long period of time.
At “Honeyguide,” Perseverance studied the “Hazyview” megaripple, where over 50 observations were taken across the SuperCam, Mastcam-Z, MEDA, PIXL and WATSON instruments, looking for grain movement, signs of early morning frost, and changes in mineralogy from crest to trough. The investigation of the “Hazyview” bedform builds directly on the results from “Kerrlaguna” and represents the most detailed look yet at these intriguing wind-formed deposits. As Perseverance continues its journey on the crater rim, these observations will provide a valuable reference for interpreting other wind-blown features and for understanding how Mars continues to change, one grain of sand at a time.
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3 min read
Written by Lucy Lim, Planetary Scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Earth Planning Date: Friday, Dec. 12, 2025
The weekend drive starting from the “Nevado Sajama” drill site brought Curiosity back into the “Monte Grande” boxwork hollow. We’ve been in this hollow before for the “Valle de la Luna” drill campaign, but now that the team has seen the results from both the “Valle de la Luna” and “Nevado Sajama” drilled samples, we’ve decided that there’s more work to do here.
Overall science goals here included analysis of the other well-exposed bedrock block in Monte Grande to improve our statistics on the composition of the bedrock in the hollows, and also high-resolution imaging and compositional analysis of portions of the walls of the hollow, other than those that had been covered during the Valle de la Luna campaign. These are part of a systematic mini-campaign to map a transect over the hollow-to-ridge structure from top to bottom at this site.
The post-drive imaging revealed a surprise — Valle de la Luna’s neighboring block was covered with polygons! As it turned out, the rover’s position during our previous visit for the Valle de la Luna drill campaign happened to have stood in the way of imaging of the polygonal features on this block so this was our first good look at them. We have seen broadly similar polygonal patterns in various strata in Gale Crater before — recently in the layered sulfate units (for instance, during Sols 4532-4533 and Sols 4370-4371) but we hadn’t seen them in the bottom of a boxwork hollow. Interestingly, this block looks more rubbly in texture than many of the previously observed polygon-covered blocks.
We’re interested in the relationship of the visibly protruding fracture-filling material here to fracture-filling materials seen in previous polygons, and also in the relationship of the polygonal surface on top to the more chaotic-appearing exposures lower on the block, and to the equivalent strata in the nearby wall of the hollow. We therefore planned a super-sized MAHLI mosaic that will support three-dimensional modeling of the upper and lower exposed surfaces of the polygon-bearing block. Several APXS and ChemCam LIBS observations targeted on the polygon centers and polygon ridges were also planned, to measure composition. Meanwhile, Mastcam has been busy planning stereo images of the nearby hollow wall in addition to the various blocks on the hollow floor.
The hollow also included freshly exposed light-toned material from where the rover had driven over and scuffed some bedrock, so another APXS measurement and a ChemCam LIBS went to the scuffed patch to measure the fresh surface.
We’ll be driving on Sol 4748. As we drive we’ll be taking a MARDI “sidewalk” observation, to image the ground beneath the rover as we approach the wall for a closer view, and hopefully some contact science in next week’s plans.
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Written by Margaret Deahn, Ph.D. student at Purdue University
NASA’s Mars 2020 rover is currently trekking towards exciting new terrain. After roughly four months of climbing up and over the rim of Jezero crater, the rover is taking a charming tour of the plains just beyond the western crater rim, fittingly named “Lac de Charmes.” This area just beyond Jezero’s rim will be the prime place to search for pre-Jezero ancient bedrock and Jezero impactites — rocks produced or affected by the impact event that created Jezero crater.
The formation of a complex crater like Jezero is, well… complex. Scientists who study impact craters like to split the formation process into three stages: contact & compression (when the impactor hits), excavation (when materials are thrown out of the crater), and modification (when gravity causes everything to collapse). This process happens incredibly fast, fracturing the impacted rock and even melting some of the target material. Sometimes on Earth, the classic “bowl” shaped crater has been completely weathered and unrecognizable, so geologists are able to identify craters by the remnants of their impactites. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any more complicated — Jezero crater’s rim is located on the rim of another, even bigger basin called Isidis. That means there is an opportunity to have impactites from both cratering events exposed in and just around the rim — some of which could be several billions of years old! We may have already encountered one of these blocks on our trek towards Lac de Charmes. In the foreground of this image taken by the Mastcam-Z instrument on the rover, there is a potential impactite called a “megablock” that the team has named “Hyha.” We can actually see this block from orbit, it is that large! The team is excited to continue exploring these ancient rocks as we take our next steps off Jezero’s rim.
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Welcome back, aspiring forensic investigators.
Linux is everywhere today. It runs web servers, powers many smartphones, and can even be found inside the infotainment systems of cars. A few reasons for its wide use are that Linux is open source, available in many different distributions, and can be tailored to run on both powerful servers and tiny embedded devices. It is lightweight, modular, and allows administrators to install only the pieces they need. Those qualities make Linux a core part of many organizations and of our daily digital lives. Attackers favour Linux as well. Besides being a common platform for their tools, many Linux hosts suffer from weak monitoring. Compromised machines are frequently used for reverse proxies, persistence, reconnaissance and other tasks, which increases the need for forensic attention. Linux itself is not inherently complex, but it can hide activity in many small places. In later articles we will dive deeper into what you can find on a Linux host during an investigation. Our goal across the series is to build a compact, reliable cheat sheet you can return to while handling an incident. The same approach applies to Windows investigations as well.
Today we will cover the basics of Linux forensics. For many incidents this level of detail will be enough to begin an investigation and perform initial response actions. Let’s start.
The first thing to check is the distribution and release information. Different Linux distributions use different defaults, package managers and filesystem layouts. Knowing which one you are examining helps you predict where evidence or configuration will live.
bash> cat /etc/os-release
Common distributions and their typical uses include Debian and Ubuntu, which are widely used on servers and desktops. They are stable and well documented. RHEL and CentOS are mainly in enterprise environments with long-term support. Fedora offers cutting-edge features, Arch is rolling releases for experienced users, Alpine is very small and popular in containers. Security builds such as Kali or Parrot have pentesting toolsets. Kali contains many offensive tools that hackers use and is also useful for incident response in some cases.
Record the system’s hostname early and keep a running list of hostnames you encounter. Hostnames help you map an asset to network records, correlate logs across systems, identify which machine was involved in an event, and reduce ambiguity when combining evidence from several sources.
bash> cat /etc/hostname
bash> hostname
Timezone information gives a useful hint about the likely operating hours of the device and can help align timestamps with other systems. You can read the configured timezone with:
bash> cat /etc/timezone
User accounts are central to persistence and lateral movement. Local accounts are recorded in /etc/passwd (account metadata and login shell) and /etc/shadow (hashed passwords and aging information). A malicious actor who wants persistent access may add an account or modify these files. To inspect the user list in a readable form, use:
bash> cat /etc/passwd | column -t -s :
You can also list users who are allowed interactive shells by filtering the shell field:
bash> cat /etc/passwd | grep -i 'ash'
Groups control access to shared resources. Group membership can reveal privilege escalation or lateral access. Group definitions are stored in /etc/group. View them with:
bash> cat /etc/group
Users who can use sudo can escalate privileges. The main configuration file is /etc/sudoers, but configuration snippets may also exist under /etc/sudoers.d. Review both locations:
bash> ls -l /etc/sudoers.d/
bash> sudo cat /etc/sudoers
The /var/log directory holds login-related records. Two important binary files are wtmp and btmp. The first one records successful logins and logouts over time, while btmp records failed login attempts. These are binary files and must be inspected with tools such as last (for wtmp) and lastb (for btmp), for example:
bash> sudo last -f /var/log/wtmp
bash> sudo lastb -f /var/log/btmp
Network interface configuration can be stored in different places depending on the distribution and the network manager in use. On Debian-based systems you may see /etc/network/interfaces. For a quick look at configured interfaces, examine:
bash> cat /etc/network/interfaces
bash> ip a show
On a live system, active connections reveal current communications and can suggest where an attacker is connecting to or from. Traditional tools include netstat:
bash> netstat -natp
A modern alternative is ss -tulnp, which provides similar details and is usually available on newer systems.
Enumerating processes shows what is currently executing on the host and helps spot unexpected or malicious processes. Use ps for a snapshot or interactive tools for live inspection:
bash> ps aux
If available, top or htop give interactive views of CPU/memory and process trees.
DNS configuration is important because attackers sometimes alter name resolution to intercept or redirect traffic. Simple local overrides live in /etc/hosts. DNS server configuration is usually in /etc/resolv.conf. Often attackers might perform DNS poisoning or tampering to redirect victims to malicious services. Check the relevant files:
bash> cat /etc/hosts
bash> cat /etc/resolv.conf
There are many common persistence techniques on Linux. Examine scheduled tasks, services, user startup files and systemd units carefully.
Cron is often used for legitimate scheduled tasks, but attackers commonly use it for persistence because it’s simple and reliable. System-wide cron entries live in /etc/crontab, and individual service-style cron jobs can be placed under /etc/cron.d/. User crontabs are stored under /var/spool/cron/crontabs on many distributions. Listing system cron entries might look like:
bash> cat /etc/crontab
bash> ls /etc/cron.d/
bash> ls /var/spool/cron/crontabs
Many malicious actors prefer cron because it does not require deep system knowledge. A simple entry that runs a script periodically is often enough.
Services or daemons start automatically and run in the background. Modern distributions use systemd units which are typically found under /etc/systemd/system or /lib/systemd/system, while older SysV-style scripts live in /etc/init.d/. A quick check of service scripts and unit files can reveal backdoors or unexpected startup items:
bash> ls /etc/init.d/
bash> systemctl list-unit-files --type=service
bash> ls /etc/systemd/system
Per-user shell startup files such as ~/.bashrc, ~/.profile, or ~/.bash_profile can be modified to execute commands when an interactive shell starts. Attackers sometimes add small one-liners that re-establish connections or drop a backdoor when a user logs in. The downside for attackers is that these files only execute for interactive shells. Services and non-interactive processes will not source them, so they are not a universal persistence method. Still, review each user’s shell startup files:
bash> cat ~/.bashrc
bash> cat ~/.profile
Linux can offer attackers a lot of stealth, as logging can be disabled, rotated, or manipulated. When the system’s logging is intact, many useful artifacts remain. When it is not, you must rely on other sources such as filesystem timestamps, process state, and memory captures.
Most shells record commands to a history file such as ~/.bash_history. This file can show what commands were used interactively by a user, but it is not a guaranteed record, as users or attackers can clear it, change HISTFILE, or disable history entirely. Collect each user’s history (including root) where available:
bash> cat ~/.bash_history
Tmux and other terminal multiplexers themselves normally don’t provide a persistent command log. Commands executed in a tmux session run in normal shell processes. Whether those commands are saved depends on the tmux configurations.
When a user runs commands with sudo, those events are typically logged in the authentication logs. You can grep for recorded COMMAND entries to see what privileged commands were executed:
bash> cat /var/log/auth.log* | grep -i COMMAND | less
The Vim editor stores some local history and marks in a file named .viminfo in the user’s home directory. That file can include command-line history, search patterns and other useful traces of editing activity:
bash> cat ~/.viminfo
If the system logging service (for example, rsyslog or journald) is enabled and not tampered with, the files under /var/log are often the richest source of chronological evidence. The system log (syslog) records messages from many subsystems and services. Because syslog can become large, systems rotate older logs into files such as syslog.1, syslog.2.gz, and so on. Use shell wildcards and standard text tools to search through rotated logs efficiently:
bash> cat /var/log/syslog* | head
When reading syslog entries you will typically see a timestamp, the host name, the process producing the entry and a message. Look for unusual service failures, unexpected cron jobs running, or log entries from unknown processes.
Authentication activity, such as successful and failed logins, sudo attempts, SSH connections and PAM events are usually recorded in an authentication log such as /var/log/auth.log. Because these files can be large, use tools like grep, tail and less to focus on the relevant lines. For example, to find successful logins you run this:
bash> cat /var/log/auth.log | grep -ai accepted
Many services keep their own logs under /var/log. Web servers, file-sharing services, mail daemons and other third-party software will have dedicated directories there. For example, Apache and Samba typically create subdirectories where you can inspect access and error logs:
bash> ls /var/log
bash> ls /var/log/apache2/
bash> ls /var/log/samba/
A steady, methodical sweep of the locations described above will give you a strong start in most Linux investigations. You start by verifying the OS, recording host metadata, enumerating users and groups, then you move to examining scheduled tasks and services, collecting relevant logs and history files. Always preserve evidence carefully and collect copies of volatile data when possible. In future articles we will expand on file system forensics, memory analysis and tools that make formal evidence collection and analysis easier.
Are you sitting next to a piece of white paper or a blank screen with a blinking cursor and wondering how to start writing a blog article, essay or thesis? Well, you are not alone.
Millions of students around the world face a similar dilemma of how to start their essay or essay in the right way. With so many words off the right essay, it can be quite difficult and challenging to distract you from all the topics.
However, if you are trying to write a dissertation or dissertation, here are some of the most important things you must keep in mind:
Diversity and quantity are two. You need to make sure you use both to create a perfect reference combination. The references you use in your essay have played a significant role in getting higher scores, so make sure you take a look at the various real and unbiased books and authors’ references and use them accordingly.
Keep in mind that it does not hurt to include some pictures and charts about what you are writing. In fact, you will make it appear more representative by including more information in the essay. For example, when you disclose statistics about an event in your essay, try using charts and tables rather than just writing them down. However, if you use pictures or photos in your essay, do not forget to provide the source.
It is clear that many still make the mistake of plagiarizing the work of others intentionally or unintentionally. When writing your essay, you must never plagiarize anything, as this will reduce your chance of acceptance. More importantly, it will also basically undermine your reputation with examiners. So no matter what you do, just do not plagiarize your job.
After reading these simple but very important tutorial tips, you should be confident in writing and essay challenges. Good luck to everyone. However, if you still feel yourself in trouble, seeking professional academic advice and ghostwriting services is a good idea.
A large number of tags are used to represent and punctuation marks. The former may find it difficult to maintain consistency throughout the lengthy essay, especially the essay. Should follow the shape norms, to avoid scattered reading. Your writing is an important part of your academic writing, but they may lose influence if not presented in a seamless manner. The benefits of prose assistance are priceless in this often overlooked academic writing.
Similarly, the importance of correct punctuation is not excessive. You can assemble your ideas into a coherent, well-structured essay, but disambiguation caused by incorrect use of punctuation marks.
The best academic writing skills are to seek third-party assistance before submitting your work for final assessment. It is hard to analyze your own work with total separation. Although independent advice is just a series of suggestions, it is gratifying to know that you have not missed any obvious or any other error.
Your article represents a lot of work, what you gained from experience. The perfect reflection of all efforts should be the end result. So, if you want to buy essays that are in different types of blogs, technical reports and analytics, choose an essay writing service that can provide all of these essays.
Originally posted 2018-11-21 20:41:58. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
The post Blog Article or Coursework Essay Writing first appeared on Information Technology Blog.
We are getting ready for 2018! What are the Best IT Blogs and IT information sites of 2017 and 2018? Submit your recommendation here:
Best IT BlogsInformationWeek is the world’s most trusted online community for business technology professionals like you. Our community members include thought-leading CIOs, CTOs, IT VPs and managers, along with hundreds of thousands of other IT professionals. This is where senior-level IT buyers and decision-makers come to learn about and share their experiences with products, technologies and technology trends. It’s where they get expert advice to manage their people and advance their careers. It’s where they come to engage with one another and with InformationWeek editors to embrace new (and big) ideas, find answers to their business technology questions and solve their most pressing problems.
/r/technology is a place to share and discuss the latest developments, happenings and curiosities in the world of technology; a broad spectrum of conversation as to the innovations, aspirations, applications and machinations that define our age and shape our future.
InfoWorld is the destination of choice for technology decision makers and business leaders who seek expert, in-depth analysis of enterprise technology. An independent voice best known for identifying important tech trends early, InfoWorld delivers unique insight drawn from the professional experience of a core group of thought leaders. This exclusive network of journalists and technologists produces InfoWorld’s special mix of opinion, feature articles, and enterprise product reviews, helping tech professionals transform their infrastructures, accelerate application development, and establish technology leadership. Located in San Francisco, InfoWorld is part of the fabric of tech culture and has been serving its readers since the dawn of the PC era. InfoWorld is a publication of the International Data Group.
IT News strives to be the most comprehensive technology news site on the Internet, aggregating the output of the powerful brands that make up the vast IDG Network. Like its name implies, IT News carry breaking news, scoops and commentary reported and written by dozens of IDG reporters from around the globe, The site is intended to be straightfoward with up-to-the second news from well-known and respected sources such as Computerworld, Macworld, PC World, Infoworld, Network World, CIO, IDG News Service and others.
CNET tracks all the latest consumer technology breakthroughs and shows you what’s new, what matters, and how technology can enrich your life. We give you the information, tools, and advice that will help you decide what to buy and how to get the most out of the tech in your life.
Galido.net provides you with information and links from tech blogs to computer tips, tricks, solutions, news and relevant information to IT related topics. Information Technology Blog features a collection of tech blogs containing links to information technology related software, hardware, news, cool sites, news on gadgets, where to get them, search engine optimization, and more.
ZDNet brings together the reach of global and the depth of local, delivering 24/7 news coverage and analysis on the trends, technologies and opportunities that matter to IT professionals and decision makers.
Submit IT Blog or FeedOriginally posted 2014-11-12 01:29:48. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
The post Best IT Blogs first appeared on Information Technology Blog.
Another way to keep up to speed with technology and latest advancements is by subscribing to Technology RSS Feeds.
Our favorites include our very own Information Technology Blog, as well as Reddit, Information Week, Infoworld, IT News, CNET, and ZDNet.
If you have a technology rss feed that you would like to promote, submit it for our consideration here.
Browse Technology RSS FeedsAnother great resource is Galido.net’ free ebook and free subscription section, where you can subscribe to an extensive list of free Information Technology magazines, Books, white papers, downloads and podcasts. Find the titles that best match your skills; topics include technology, IT management, business technology and e-business. Simply complete the application form and submit it. All are absolutely free to professionals who qualify.
Originally posted 2015-01-25 07:06:36. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
The post Technology RSS Feeds first appeared on Information Technology Blog.
Over the past decade there have been significant technological advances in the world. Microsoft attempted to buy Yahoo, Apple developed its ultra-thin Mac laptop, Honda began selling its zero-emission hydrogen fueled car, the FCX Clarity, and a tiny computer with a six-inch screen inside a stuffed leather pillow is released by Chumby. The computer has internet access and can show incoming email, play games, and display news headlines.
One of the realizations as we look back on a decade of technology use is how prevalent the internet has become. Our everyday lives revolve around it. How many times do you check your Facebook feed? Or Twitter updates? Society has grown dependent on access to the internet in every aspect of life. The online world has grown as a conduit for business, recreation, travel planning, schooling, communication, and shopping.
Have you ever heard of the term “hot off the press”? That saying derived from a time when the most current news was literally just printed in a newspaper. That developed into internet access and content providers developing strategies to organize and distribute the latest news effectively. Once upon a time the HTML was simply Times New Roman font, completed with a flashing link. Now online content can be published with RSS feeds, social networks, blogs, smartphones, tablets, and a myriad of other tools. Available content for the world to see has exploded over the last decade as every person now has an opportunity and the capability to have their voice heard online.
Personal communication has soared to new heights. In the early 2000’s, internet use was a stationary event. If you had a cell phone, it was most likely a flip phone with none of the bells and whistles that are standard fare for today’s choices. These days, more than 95% of Americans own a smartphone. Having a phone that can stream movies, play endless music, have a personal GPS, play games, and access the internet and social media is a development of the last decade. With the use of smartphones, the dependency on land lines has diminished greatly, making access to online amenities available on the go as well at home.
The development of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media also propelled internet use from a stationary to a social environment. No longer do we look up topics of interest on the internet and join the occasional chat group. Today we socialize almost on a minute to minute basis. We have platforms such as Skype for personal and business face time. We have the capability to interact with each other in real time, and the phenomenon is growing.
Another area of noticeable growth is the use of Wi-Fi. It didn’t take long for businesses everywhere to get on the Wi-Fi band wagon. With the development of smartphone and better laptops, and eventually tablets, Wi-Fi gives users an unprecedented mobility with their internet access. Business owners were quick to realize that their customers want to stay connected online, and therefore began to provide Wi-Fi hot zones for the customer’s use. If you are eating lunch at your favorite restaurant you can let your friends know immediate. If you are on vacation and want to stream your favorite program, there is a Wi-Fi hot spot available for your enjoyment.
Anyone of the age of Facebook will not only never remember a time before online social media, but won’t ever know what it was like to have to watch a program only when it was available on television. The concept of being in the living room by a certain time and only getting up during commercials is a lifestyle that is obsolete to the older generation, and unknown to the younger. Streaming your favorite program or movie through Amazon, Netflix, or Hulu is how this generation rolls. Having the availability to watch your favorite show from a decade or more ago, or catch up on a season you missed from last year can be done through streaming. Because of online streaming consumers can now watch any documentaries, movies, TV shows, exercise videos, and even music videos they want, when they want.
Another major change in the world due to the growth of online availability the shopping experience of the consumer. One of the first known purchases online was in 1994, believed to be a pizza from Pizza Hut. On July 16, 1995, Amazon opened for business. The company grew from a humble two-garage operation to what it is today: a billion dollar, international shopping platform.
For example, if you are shopping for insurance for your new car, and you live in New Zealand, you can easily find options, such as Youi Insurance. Further you can check out in social media like youi nz youtube to know more about the company and decide with your best interest at heart without ever leaving your home.
The online world has grown into every aspect of our lives, creating a smaller world, and more accessible information and products. Cyber security is a good way to make sure your business and personal information stays safe. Unfortunately, as the online world continues to grow, so will the dangers of identity theft and hackers. Explore the advancements of technology with confidence while you protect yourself against threats.
Originally posted 2018-01-22 18:13:12. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
The post How Online World Has Grown In The Last Decade? first appeared on Information Technology Blog.
If you have been running a blog for a little while, you are probably well on your way to creating something that is popular and read by many visitors.
For a lot of bloggers, this would be the ultimate goal and something which would be of immense value to them. However, there are many other bloggers who want to take this a little step further and create a career from the blog. If you are looking to do the same thing, then here are a few tips that you can use.
When you start to think about turning your blog into your career, you may get so caught up in what you need to promote your blog, that you forget to concentrate on the blog itself.
However, this website is the reason you are getting visitors, and people are reading your content because they like it. It means that any strategy you put in place has to have your blog at the center of it. For example, if you wish to deal with products and companies, they will need to see the type of content you are creating, and how many visitors you are getting.
A media pack is becoming extremely popular among bloggers because it contains all the information a company would need. In this pack, you ideally want to have examples of your content, some information about your visitor numbers, and also contact details for yourself. You can then upload this media package to your website so any companies seeing it can check it immediately. It also means in any correspondence you sent to companies you can attach a link to this media pack for them to check.
One of the quickest ways to attract clients to your blog is to contact them yourself. Look at some companies that you think will fit well with your niche and see if they can be contacted. There are many templates online that can help you with drafting the email. Once you have made contact, you may get a reply asking for more details. At this point, some companies will want to chat with you, so it can be handy to have unlimited conference call facilities available.
Once you have agreed on products and a payment that you are happy with, you can then concentrate on creating content for that product. By then you should have set up a time scale and agreed on a marketing plan with the company. This would include where you will publish your content and how often you will republish it.
As you start to gather companies and publish content on their products, you will start to get approaches from other companies wishing you to do the same thing. This is the point where you can really begin to gather pace with your newly found career. Above all, you still need to create engaging content for your readers and ensure that the products will be of interest to them.
Originally posted 2018-11-22 18:44:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
The post Turn Your Blog into a Career first appeared on Information Technology Blog.
The creation of content is not always an easy task. Sometimes you might just sit in front of your computer and have no idea where to begin. Regardless of the automation that has been taking place in the world of business, content creation is still manual.
Therefore, you have to brainstorm ideas and carry out enough research to come up with the best content possible. However, the good news is that there are plenty of content creation tools out there. This software was developed to make the process an easy one.
Experts from https://essayzoo.org/ point out that the process of content creation requires an individual to pay full attention to the job by working in an environment that is free from distractions. Google research drive tool is one of the tools that help in the creation of such a situation. This tool was added to google to enable an individual to carry out their research without having to leave the Drive window.
To use the software, you just have to click the “Tools” on the menu bar and select the research option from the dropdown list. This way, you will not be tempted to perform other tasks but will instead focus on the content creation activity. The advantage of the tool is that you can view what you have already written and the research items. The result is enhanced coordination of ideas, and you will even find it easy to brainstorm. A lot of people prefer to have visual content. Through the use of the Google doc research tool, you can quickly come up with images that best suit your content. It is one of the most recently content writing software in the market.
Content writing requires an individual to make use of facts for the content to be relevant in the market. Searching for such points can be done by googling your preferred topic. However, this could be a challenge because you will have plenty of information to analyze to identify the most helpful facts. The good news is that Atlas has made this process an easy one.
The database is full of charts, data visualizations, and graphs that are an easy way of getting specific facts about a topic. Through this content creation software, you can research any topic of your preference, and you will be amazed by graphic based research results provided. It is one of the best tools through which you can find precise background information on the research topic. Are you looking for current data to use in the project that you are working on?
Well, Atlas is the right database that you can think of. It will not only simplify the research process but will also save you time. You could have spent a lot of time analyzing the bulk of information obtained from the google search.
Evernote is one of the content generator software in the market, which I have found to be very helpful when it comes to content creation. The best part about this software is that it can be used on desktop, mobile, and the web. It synchronizes automatically as long as you have an active internet connection. Therefore, you do not have to worry about starting the creation of your work anew. Such might happen in the case where you do not have your computer in place.
You can easily pick up from where you left. I have been using the free version of Evernote, and so far, I have had the best experience in content creating. You can also work offline, and your work will synchronize as soon as you have an active internet connection. Some people are not used to saving their work regularly while writing content. They thus end up losing some part of the work in the case their computers shut down.
Now, this is the most essential aspect of Evernote. It will automatically save your work regularly to prevent you from having to start all over again. You can use it to write an essay, store articles, or take notes. It is the best application to plan your publishing calendars and editorials.
The HTML hacks for marketers is not one of the resources used in content creation. However, basic coding skills have become one of the must-have skills for modern marketers. Content creators are not an exception to having such skills. Learning the coding skills from scratch is a difficult task.
Therefore, HTML hacks for marketers were developed to help content creators with some of the quick hacks that they can use regardless of their coding knowledge. Most of the website content generators might require the individual to use coding skills for them to create quality content successfully.
The tool will help you in learning some of the primary ways of making changes to HTML, such as the editing of headers, inserting links, and spacing. You can also learn about the hack to change fonts. You will need patience and determination to learn such hacks. Sooner than you can imagine, you will be coding like an individual who has been attending
coding classes.
Resume writing company suggests the Blog Topic Generator as one of the helpful software that people have been using to identify exciting blog topics. All that you need to do is type a few keywords that you wish to include in your blog. The content generator will provide you will plenty of the week’s topics that you can choose from and be able to create an exciting blog.
The best part about the generator is that it will help you think about new angles of the topics that you had previously written about. Therefore, if you are stuck on what to write on your blog, this is the best tool you can think of. It will save you from overthinking, and you will end up with quality content.
The above tools will help you come up with the best ideas for the content. However, it is upon you to control the quality of your content by brainstorming ideas before writing them. You will also be required to identify the specific needs of your audience to write content that solves their challenges. The content creation tools will enhance your thinking capacity. You will realize that as time goes by, you can create better content as compared to what you used to develop in the past.
Originally posted 2019-10-16 17:59:35. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
The post Services that help you quickly create content for your site first appeared on Information Technology Blog.
The business arena is fast-paced, competitive, and almost saturated. A lot of businesses in different niches are already operating today – which makes it difficult for neophytes to stand out.
Without a detailed plan and thorough understanding of the market, it’ll be hard for new and small businesses to thrive and succeed. In worse cases, these businesses might experience bankruptcy. Fortunately, there are many ways on how businesses can avoid going into this kind of situation – and one of these is by taking advantage of local SEO to increase organic leads.
As more and more people take part in e-commerce, Search Engine Optimization is more important than ever. Businesses, regardless of their niche and size, can level out the playing field with the right SEO strategy. A tailored-fit SEO strategy can even become your edge to haul in customers, increase profit and create a brand in the market.
All of these can happen because local SEO can help increase organic leads for your business. Here’s how:
Content is king when it comes to SEO. Accurate and high-quality content can be your medium to entice new customers and maintain healthy relationships with existing customers, too. When you write content, make sure that it fits your target audience, and it actually responds to their needs and wants. Your words should also be simple and straight to the point. Additionally, content should be posted regularly on your website. It should be up-to-date and informative. When trying to optimize for a particular geographic area, translated pages can help put you on the map.
An example would be, if you wanted to target readership about creating business email addresses in Denmark”, you could add translated text like “en zakelijk e-mailadres maken” pointing to those tips.
Business document translation services can help to provide you with more targeted pages for your region.
In order to gain organic leads for your business, your website should be accessible to your target audience. When choosing which keyword to use in your website, put yourself on the shoes of your target audience and think about what they would use to look for your website. As a business, you should make it easy for customers to reach out to you, and not do the complete opposite. The keywords you use should also be present in your content and web design. The simpler these keywords are, the better.
Backlinks are one of the most effective techniques in SEO. This works by having another website use your link. The traffic that the website can get will be directed to your own website. If you’re eyeing to use this technique, take time to observe what the competition is doing. Look for websites that are linking to your competitors, reach out to them and have them use your website link instead. You’ll be one step ahead of the competition once you’ve successfully executed this.
While you’re at it, observe the online marketing strategies that your competitors are using. This is very useful especially if you’re still new in the business. Determine which works and doesn’t work for your competitors and benchmark those which are useful. Modify these techniques as if your own and adapt to your own business.
Gone are the days when individuals around the world will only use a desktop computer to browse the internet. Today, they’re doing the same through their smartphones and tablets. If you want to reach out to a broader audience, make sure that your website is responsive. Its design should be accessible to any handheld device, without losing quality and user experience. The content of your website should be the same regardless of the device used when accessing it. And most importantly, your website should also load fast – because no one wants a website that takes 15 minutes to load.
Using a website alone won’t get you the traction your business needs. Regardless of your website was made by a professional, you need to make use of other mediums in order for your business to create a strong online presence. You should also make use of local directories to accomplish your business goals. You should market your business through online directories because these can drive traffic and improve your SEO rankings, too. If your business is operating in Miami, you should adapt to Miami SEO strategies, or if your business is in DC, you might consider an SEO Service in DC. Don’t forget to indicate your business’s location when you’re using local directories.
Every business has to start somewhere small – and in your case, it’s in your local area. No matter how large or small or current area is, make sure that all of your marketing efforts are directed to the locals. You can start by indicating the location of your business on your website and content.
You can even go one step further, when targeting businesses in your vicinity, you can draw a radius on a local map around your business area, and select the cities you would like to target. You would then add these cities to your page content, focused specifically on your service and targeted city.
You can even come up with promos and services which are made especially for the residents in the area. By penetrating the local market, it’ll be easier for your business to expand and haul in more customers.
Online reviews are an important deciding factor. When an online user reads how satisfied your previous customers were, they’ll likely choose to do business with you. After all, a satisfied customer is an indication of a business’s trustworthiness. After providing services and products to your customers, ask for their reviews. These should be highlighted on your website and if possible, include the customers’ pictures, too. Putting a face on these reviews can add value to your business.
Take note – active. Blogging is one of the easiest and cheapest ways of providing content to the World Wide Web. Additionally, it can be an accessible platform to engage with customers and create a healthy relationship with them. If you’re planning to make a blog, take time to learn all the ropes on how to manage a blog and what are the tools needed in the process. You should also know how to effectively market your blog so you can gain loyal readers who can eventually become your paying customers. With the number of blogs today, yours should stand out from the market.
Almost every human being in the world owns at least one social media profile. Students, young professionals, parents, and even seniors are present on social media. As a business, you should make use of this status quo – you should be active on social media to let these people know that your business is operating. Determine which social media platform works best for your business and sign up for an account. Optimize this account by posting relevant content and marketing your brand. You can also utilize the same account to handle customers’ concerns and queries, just make sure that you’re doing it professionally.
Engaging with your customers through social media is actually hitting two birds with one stone – you’ll be able to foster a professional relationship with your customers while improving your SEO ranking. Undeniably, social media is one of the best ways to gain visibility.
Creating a strong online presence can become a challenge especially for small and new businesses. These businesses will likely be surrounded by experts who have been operating in the business arena for decades. This is the reason why a lot of businesses are using guest posting. This is one of the most common SEO strategies which business can use. Similar to link building, guest posting can help drive traffic to your website by taking advantage of another website’s following. If your business is able to work with an influential blog or website, the followers of these platforms will likely visit your website. The success of this SEO strategy depends on the niche of the blog or website you choose to work with.
If you’re still a neophyte in the business arena, it’s common to want to try out every SEO strategy available today. You might have the notion that using a lot of SEO strategies can increase your chances to become successful with your efforts. Sorry to burst your bubble but stuffing your website with too much content just for the sake of it will never do anything to your SEO rank. In fact, this can only do more harm than good. It will only compromise the user’s experience and the quality of your website. Steer away from this direction by determining what the most common SEO mistakes are and make sure that you’re not guilty of committing any of these. If you want to be successful with your efforts, you should also be aware of the don’ts to avoid.
Starting and running a business are two different things. While you can successfully start a business by merely having sufficient financial investment, this resource isn’t the only thing you’ll need when you’re running a business. For starters, you’ll have to study the competition, keep track of the market trends, and determine your customers’ needs and wants. Doing all of these might be hard, but local SEO can turn things around. Use this as your tool to increase organic leads for your business so your business’s customer base and profit will skyrocket!
Originally posted 2019-08-12 00:15:14. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
The post How Local SEO Can Help Increase Organic Leads For Your Business first appeared on Information Technology Blog.
Do you know how long it took me to write this blog post? Just under one hour. I wasn’t really counting seconds, but I looked at the watch before I started, and then after I finished. You can do that too, you know. It’s not really that hard, and I’ve come up with a couple of tips to help you achieve your goal of writing quality content, fast.
Being a full-time writer is hard, and it takes a couple of talents to succeed. Those talents include (but are not limited to) curiosity and education (you need to know a lot of things about a variety of topics), imagination (some people could stare at a blank page for hours and come up with nothing, while others just open up Word and start typing), and typing skills (you need to be fast).
Doing writing for a living is a great call, but if you want to earn decent money, you need to write a lot and start by learning how to start a blog (by Author: Rafael Reyes). You don’t have all day for a 500-word blog post, that stuff needs to be moving.
Writing a good piece means nothing if it’s not being engaged with by the audience. So you also need to make sure to optimize your blog for the search engine. If you’re not familiar with Search Engine Optimization (SEO), I suggest you run through the Local SEO Guide: How to Actually Rank.
So here are a couple of tips on how to make quality content, fast:
Introduction, Body, Conclusion. Those are the three basic parts of any article, and by splitting your content, you will easily be inspired to write faster. In the introduction you write about what you will be writing about (Example: Today I’ll be writing about getting a blog post done in under 45 minutes). The body is the topic of the article, while in the conclusion you write about what you wrote about (Example: And there you have it ladies and gentleman, that’s how you write in under 45 minutes).
Everything is easier to write if you break down the article to a list. For example, this article gives nine tips on how to write faster.
In most parts of the world, people travel to and from work a lot, mostly on trains. Use that time to write something down on your laptop or tablet. It will save you a lot of time which you usually use just to look around.
There’s not really that much to say about it. When you have the knowledge of a topic, writing is easy.
If you don’t have the knowledge – find it. Do some research on the topic and include that data in your article. It will use up lot of space and it will be useful for the reader.
This relates to the previous tip. If you don’t have the knowledge about a certain topic, your writing will be sluggish. Whenever you have extra time, read about anything and everything. You never know when it can help you.
Take a certain topic and write 10, 20 articles on it. After a while, you’ll be flipping blog posts like burgers in McDonalds.
Similar to data, using other people’s words is always a good thing. Just make sure the people you quote are relevant to the topic and are strong opinion makers.
And yes, you need to type faster. An average person types approximately 40 words per minute, while a professional writes up to 75. If you’re below average, that’s what you can work on. Here’s a good typing test which can not only test your skills, but improve them, as well.
Good luck!
Related:
5 Ways to Win Brand Engagement and Loyalty Through Creative Content
How to create shareworthy content
Originally posted 2016-08-10 16:13:35. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
The post How to Quickly Create High Value Content first appeared on Information Technology Blog.
You probably remember my article about interesting hacker forums. No? Go and read it now! It’s an order. Now, as always, I put in some random, fancy image downloaded from the internet to give the post a dark, hacking mood. I am deliberately not giving the source of image to show how badly person I am.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The 2easy dark web marketplace has gained notoriety for its role in selling and exchanging stolen data. Site operators harvest the stolen data via 600,000 devices tainted with information-stealing malware.
The 2easy platform first appeared in 2018 and has since shown rapid growth. Last year, the platform sold data from 28,000 infected devices. 2easy was considered a minor player in this particular dark web and info-stealing space.
Since then, analyses indicate that ‘high-quality’ offerings on the site amped up interested among cyber criminals. Hackers want to see whose network they can access next.
The data logs are archives of stolen data from malware-compromised web browsers or systems. Logs commonly contain account credentials, cookies, and saved credit card information.
The 2easy platform is fully automated, allowing individuals to create accounts, add money to wallets and engage in purchases without directly interacting with sellers. Hackers can purchase logs for as low a price as $5.00 per item. This is roughly 5X less than what a common competitor offers and three times less the average cost of bot logs in another underground marketplace.
The 2easy logs consistently provide valid credentials that offer network access to many organizations. In addition to the cost benefits for hackers, they can also explore a variety of functional details around purchases that other services cannot provide. The only downside for hackers is the inability to preview certain items.
Logs packed with credentials represent keys to doors and those doors can lead straight into your online accounts, giving hackers access to financial information or corporate networks. While logs are sold for as little as $5.00 per item, the harm inflicted on your organization could cost millions of dollars.
In June of 2021, the Electronic Arts attack occurred due to hackers who purchased stolen cookies online and then weaponized them to gain access to an EA Slack channel. Upon accessing the Slack channel, attackers tricked an EA employee into providing a multi-factor authentication token. The rest is history.
Items purchased on the 2easy platform are packaged as archive files that contain stolen logs from selected bots. Exact content type depends on the info-stealing malware previously deployed and corollary capabilities. Each strain of malware focuses on something slightly different.
In 50% of cases, sellers rely on RedLine as the malware of choice. RedLine can pinch passwords, cookies, credit cards, FTP credentials and additional details. Of the 18 sellers active on the site, five use RedLine exclusively. Four others use RedLine in tandem with other malware strains.
2easy supports an ecosystem that exploits logs in order to help hackers get into privately-owned and otherwise inaccessible locations. These types of intrusions can lead to ransomware attacks and other types of malware disturbances. Measures for preventing access-based attacks include use of multi-factor authentication, frequent password rotation, and use of zero trust principles.
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The post What is the 2easy dark web marketplace? appeared first on CyberTalk.
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